IDENTIFYING A PROBLEM AND

SELECTING A TOPIC
HOW TO IDENTIFY A PROBLEM
? A research problem is a specific issue, difficulty, contradiction, or
gap in knowledge that you will aim to address in your research.

? You might look for practical problems aimed at contributing to

change, or theoretical problems aimed at expanding knowledge.
? Bear in mind that some research will do both of these things, but
usually the research problem focuses on one or the other. 

? The type of research problem you choose depends on your

broad topic of interest and the type of research you want to do.
WHY IS THE RESEARCH PROBLEM IMPORTANT?
? Your topic is interesting and you have lots to say about it, but this
isn’t a strong enough basis for academic research. Without a
well-defined research problem, you are likely to end up with an
unfocused and unmanageable project.

? You might end up repeating what other people have already said,
trying to say too much, or doing research without a clear purpose
and justification. You need a problem in order to do research
that contributes new and relevant insights.
? No matter what type of research you want to do, the research
problem is the first step towards knowing exactly what you’ll do
and why.
STEP 1: IDENTIFY A BROAD PROBLEM AREA
? As you discuss and read about your topic, look for under-explored
aspects and areas of concern, conflict or controversy.

? Your goal is to find a gap that your research project can fill.
? If you are doing practical research, you can identify a problem by
reading reports, following up on previous research, and talking to
people who work in the relevant field or organization. You might
look for:
⚫ Issues with performance or efficiency in an organization

⚫ Processes that could be improved in an institution

⚫ Areas of concern among practitioners in a field

⚫ Difficulties faced by specific groups of people in society

STEP 2: LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROBLEM
? Next, you have to find out what is already known about the problem,
and pinpoint the exact aspect that your research will address.

? Identify the context and background

⚫ Who does the problem affect?

⚫ Has it been an issue for a long time, or is it a newly discovered problem?

⚫ What research has already been done?

⚫ Have any solutions been proposed?

⚫ What are the current debates about the problem, and what do you think is
missing from them?
? Identify the specificity and relevance
⚫ What particular place, time and/or people will you focus on?

⚫ What aspects will you not be able to tackle?

⚫ What will be the consequences if the problem is not resolved?
⚫ Who will benefit from resolving the problem (e.g. the management of an
organization or future researchers)?
HOW TO SELECT A TOPIC?
? The ability to develop a good research topic is an important skill.
When deciding on a topic, there are a few things that you will need
to do:

? brainstorm for ideas

? choose a topic that will enable you to read and understand the
literature
? ensure that the topic is manageable and that material is available
? make a list of key words
? be flexible (It is common to modify your topic during the research
process)
? define your topic as a focused research question
GOOD RESEARCH QUESTIONS ARE…
? Answerable

? Narrow enough to be covered sufficiently

? Broad enough that you can find information

? Abstract enough to require analysis

BAD RESEARCH QUESTIONS ARE…
? Trivia question

? Answered with a quick YES or NO

? Answerable with a quick 5-minute search on Google

? Asking for an opinion that cannot be supported